Hagadone grows into competitor

January 26, 2011

Todd Hagadone started running as a youth to keep up with his father.
Now, he's running for championships and course records.
Running has grown on Hagadone to the point where he's committed to the activity.
It's become a part of his daily routine.
"You've got to be consistent in it," Hagadone said. "A lot of people wake up every day and eat breakfast, but for me, every day I try to do some running if my schedule permits. It's something I've done now for seven years and I don't think about it too much when I do it. It's just been what I do."
Hagadone, a native of Buffalo Gap, Virginia, remembers that he started running around 12-years-old. His father was a pilot and would participate in running after spending much time sitting in the cockpit of an airplane.
"I started following him around when I was little," Hagadone said. "That's how it started and I just kept going with it.
"In high school and middle school, I'd play sports, football, basketball and soccer. I did some running on the side, just to stay in shape. I never ran track or cross country."
Once Hagadone got to college, there wasn't all of the other sports to pass his time so he started doing more running on the side.
What was just something Hagadone was used to do after school has turned into a competitive situation for Hagadone.
After enrolling in graduate school at Mississippi State, Hagadone began running in the Frostbite Half-Marathon. He holds the course record in the event with a time of time of 1:09:33, which was set in 2009.
Even though he did not get to run the Frostbite this year, Hagadone did win the Mississippi Blues Half-Marathon event two weeks ago in Jackson and was sponsored by OCH Regional Medical Center.
Hagadone flew to Jackson from Virginia to compete and enjoyed the experience.
"It was really a lot of fun and I liked the course," Hagadone said. "It was great weather for running that day."
It was the third time Hagadone has run in the Blue Cross and appreciates those responsible for making it happen. His hotel and race fee were covered by the sponsor.
"I'm very happy they did that and thankful they were able to give me the opportunity for providing that kind of support," Hagadone said. "That shows they value people who are doing the running and exercising."